Hey everyone, Tyler Arthur here, welcome to my weekly NFL column.
I am going to be using this space to keep all of you guys up to date with what you may have missed in the NFL, the biggest takeaways and stats, and then preview the upcoming week and what I think you need to be watching next.
Thanks for reading, now let’s get into this week’s column.
Week 6 has finished and the NFL delivered once again with a London game that had a crazy finish, some amazing storylines. We had overtimes, bounce-back games, off-field drama and awesome football.
We’re being spoiled this season and it’s a blast breaking it down each week, so let’s do this!
What happened This Week in the NFL?
NFL London – Dolphins @ Jaguars
Yet another weird and wonderful London game ended in very dramatic fashion as two struggling teams battled it out to right the ship. Coming into the game, the Miami Dolphins were 1-4, and the Jacksonville Jaguars were 0-5. Both teams were motivated, and there were storylines on both sides of Spurs’ stadium. The Jags had some off-field dramas with HC Urban Meyer in the spotlight, and Miami were trying to recover from a bad start as they were getting their QB Tua Tagovailoa back. The Dolphins got off to a great start and Jacksonville honestly didn’t have much going whatsoever until just a minute before halftime.
However, they were able to pull themselves together enough to keep a fairly low scoring game close. Late in the game, Miami struggled to defend their lead and opened the door for some late game heroics from the first overall pick, QB Trevor Lawrence, and a kicker who got picked up less than a week ago. Kicker Matthew Wright, serving in replacement of an injured Josh Lambo, hit a wild, swerving, fading 54-yard kick to tie the game. The Jags then held on defense and gave him another shot.
With 5 seconds left in the game, in Urban Meyer’s defining moment as an NFL HC, they set up as if they were going to go for a hail mary, but then they actually threw a quick 9-yard mini post to Laviska Shenault and he got down and they called an instant timeout as he hit the deck. Pausing the clock with 1 second to go. Wright then stepped up again, and hit a 53-yarder to walk it off and win it as the clock expired. Epic.
QB Trevor Lawrence locked himself in as the first ever rookie to win in London and the Jags broke their 20-game losing streak in unbelievable fashion. What a game!
See you again next year, NFL!
If you want to read my live-tweet coverage of the game, find it here:
Cardinals Watch!
We’re still going!!
Arizona Cardinals, 6-0.
Our undefeated watch turned-Cardinals watch continues to stay strong with a dominant 37-14 win over the Cleveland Browns, making them 6-0. They look great on offense and defense, with both sides of the ball getting it done against the Browns. In Week 7 they have a favourable matchup with the Houston Texans at home in Arizona. Can they keep their momentum and make it to 7-0, check back next week for the next episode of Cardinals Watch!
Winners and Losers
Yeah, it’s all well and good to sit in awe of the Cardinals, but we can show some love to the other teams too. Here are everyone who won and lost and their record through Week 6.
Winners
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1)
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5)
Green Bay Packers (5-1)
Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)
Indianapolis Colts (2-4)
LA Rams (5-1)
Kansas City Chiefs (3-3)
Minnesota Vikings (3-3)
Baltimore Ravens (5-1)
Arizona Cardinals (6-0)
Las Vegas Raiders (4-2)
Dallas Cowboys (5-1)
Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3)
Tennessee Titans (4-2)
Losers
Philadelphia Eagles (2-4)
Miami Dolphins (1-5)
Chicago Bears (3-3)
Detroit Lions (0-6)
Houston Texans (1-5)
Washington Football Team (2-4)
Carolina Panthers (3-3)
LA Chargers (4-2)
Cleveland Browns (3-3)
Denver Broncos (3-3)
New England Patriots (2-4)
Seattle Seahawks (2-4)
Buffalo Bills (4-2)
Bye Week
Atlanta Falcons (2-3)
New Orleans Saints (3-2)
New York Jets (1-4)
San Francisco 49ers (2-3)
Standout Individual Performers
Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders
67% completion rate, 341 yards, 2 TD’s.
The Las Vegas Raiders are the team in the spotlight right now above everybody else, for better or worse. Well, just for worse. But, despite the off-field stuff and difficulties with preparing, they still showed up and played a great game of football in Denver. Their AFC West matchup with the Broncos was the perfect way to bounce back after two straight losses and the controversial departure of their HC. Derek Carr stepped up and played smart but aggressive football and put up his fourth 300+ yard game of the year, with 341 and two Touchdowns. The Raiders have won every game that Carr has broken 300 yards in, and that didn’t change with his big performance this week. His touch pass to Kenyan Drake for a TD was absolutely perfect.
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
67% completion rate, 229 yards and 4 TD’s.
The Arizona Cardinals are 6-0 for a reason. One of those reasons is that their quarterback is playing absolutely fantastic football. He is consistent, reliable and absolutely terrifying for defenses. If you ask people about Kyler Murray, what do they say about him? He’s great at running. He’ll beat you on the ground, right? What if he doesn’t even need to. Through six games this season, he has only rushed for 116 yards. Kyler Murray is averaging less than 20 yards per game and still dominating, and leading the hottest team in the NFL. This week he threw 229 passing yards and casually put up 4 passing TD’s against a genuinely great defense in Cleveland. He means business, and his team looks dangerous.
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
20 carries, 143 yards, 3 TD’s.
The most dominant RB in the league continued to dominate on Monday Night Football this week. Derrick Henry got 20 carries and turned them into 143 yards, while also finding the end zone 3 times. The Titans half back was already tied for first in touchdowns in the league before he even played this week, so his big night set him way out in the lead as the TD king in the league. The Bills defense has looked great this season, but they couldn’t stop King Henry.
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
14 carries, 145 yards, 2 TD’s.
If you’re a fan of efficiency, look no further. Jonathan Taylor, the second-year Colts RB only got 14 carries in their game against Houston, but he turned them into a whopping 145 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 83-yard run to then set up his first touchdown was incredible, and even if you remove that huge breakaway play, he averaged 4.8 yards on the other 13 carries. The Colts don’t give him as many touches as I feel he deserves, but man, this week he made them worthwhile when he got them.
Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
29 carries, 140 yards and a TD.
After spending some time on the sideline, it was pretty evident that Dalvin Cook was itching to get back out there from the word go. He came straight back in and commanded 29 carries, which he turned into 140 yards and a touchdown in an intense game against Carolina. They had to go into overtime to beat the Panthers, and with such a hard-fought matchup, you have to think that it could have swung the other way if the Vikings didn’t have their star running back.
CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
9 receptions, 145 yards, 2 TD’s.
Another intense overtime game that was a little too close for comfort was the Cowboys’ walk off win against the New England Patriots. The star of the win was sophomore wideout CeeDee Lamb, who hauled in 9 of his 11 targets and was able to put up 145 yards. He scored twice, and his second TD was the game-winning TD on a big play that sent the gritty Pats away empty-handed. Winning away in New England is not easy, and Lamb’s big performance was hugely important to the narrow victory.
Cooper Kupp, LA Rams
9 receptions, 130 yards, 2 TD’s.
He did it yet again. Possibly the most common person on this list so far in the season, Rams WR Cooper Kupp put up 130 yards and two 2 scores in a comfortable victory for LA. This was his fifth game with 90+ yards through six weeks. He leads the league in receiving TD’s, is tied for the most receptions and is second only to the Packers’ Davante Adams in receiving yards, down by 15 yards. Kupp is truly up there among the best receivers in the league right now and his partnership with Matthew Stafford can only grow as they play together all year.
Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cleveland Browns
4 receptions, 101 yards, 2 TD’s.
I couldn’t not give a shoutout to DPJ, could I? Browns wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones has had a bit of an increased role these past two weeks, due to injuries to Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr., and he is making use of it. Last week he got 5 catches for 70 yards, and then this week he had a big day with 4 receptions for 101 yards and 2 TD’s. His big play was catching the Browns’ hail mary at the end of the first half, which gave them some life. His other TD catch was a pretty good one, too, and he’s likely earned the spot as the Browns WR3 when everyone is healthy over these past two weeks.
Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders
6 combined tackles, 1 pass defended and 3 sacks.
Have a day, Maxx Crosby. We always have to give some love to the best defensive performers of the week, and Week 6 had a real standout. Crosby spearheaded the Raiders’ strong defensive performance and had 3 sacks, raising his total to 5 on the season. He also recorded 6 combined tackles and even batted down a pass that looked destined for a first down. After a tough week in Vegas, they pulled together, and the efforts of Derek Carr and Maxx Crosby (a quick shoutout for Henry Ruggs and Johnathan Abram, too) were absolutely pivotal in getting them back on track.
Trevon Diggs, Dallas Cowboys
4 solo tackles and a 42-yard pick 6.
If someone asked you which Diggs would be the one in all the headlines at the start of the season, you’d have been wrong. What the hell is going on with Trevon Diggs, though, seriously? The second-year corner out of Alabama has absolutely exploded in his breakout season. This week he got another interception, which he returned for a 42 yard pick 6 in the overtime win. He has an interception in every single game this year, and 7 total, leading the NFL by 3 over second place. Trevon Diggs is legitimately the front runner for DPOTY right now, and I don’t know how he’s doing it.
Games to watch back
Miami Dolphins @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Minnesota Vikings @ Carolina Panthers
Dallas Cowboys @ New England Patriots
Buffalo Bills @ Tennessee Titans
Stat Leaders Through Week 6
Passing Yards – Tom Brady, 2064
Passing TD’s – Patrick Mahomes, 18
Rushing Yards – Derrick Henry, 783
Rushing TD’s – Derrick Henry, 10
Receiving Yards – Davante Adams, 668
Receiving TD’s – Cooper Kupp, 7
Total TD’s – Derrick Henry, 10
Tackles (combined) – Denzel Perryman, Bobby Wagner, 72
Sacks – Myles Garrett, 8.0
Interceptions – Trevon Diggs, 7
Week 7 Preview – What to watch
Week 7 Best Games
Chiefs @ Titans, 6pm
Bengals @ Ravens, 6pm
Eagles @ Raiders, 9:05pm
Week 6 – Storylines and who to watch
Ravens look to continue five-game win streak in AFC North clash, Bengals @ Ravens, 6pm
Are the Chiefs able to stabilise in a tough matchup? Chiefs @ Titans, 6pm
How much pain will Matt Stafford cause to his old team as Detroit come to town? Lions @ Rams, 9:05pm
Will the Raiders continue to hold it together through a difficult situation? Eagles @ Raiders, 9:05pm
Can the Cardinals remain undefeated and get to 7-0? 9:25pm
The most run-heavy game of the week, Colts @ Niners, SNF
The battle of non-ideal QB situations, Saints @ Seahawks, MNF
